Parents of teens are called to leave our paths and get on theirs. Why? To be sure they aren’t alone. Encourage them through the thickets and storms. Rejoice when there’s something to rejoice about.

When we walk alongside our teens, we usually need to follow their rules. We’re there to do what they want to do. Choosing to actively participate in their world is amazing. Joining a neighborhood softball team, or trying out for a community or church theater production, or shooting hoops every night after work, or chaperoning a field trip to a french fry factory.

The fun of doing something together can fill your scrapbook with pages of the best times of these all-too-brief child-raising years. Remember — the days can seem long, but the years are short.

Walking alongside happens when we step into our teens’ shoes and see life from their perspective.

Where do you begin? How do you walk alongside a kid who may not even like the idea?

Here are some good ways to discover how to walk alongside your son or daughter.

1. Find out what he/she loves to do.  Then do it with them, rather than just cheering him on from the stands. Sometimes what they love will be obvious, but sometimes it may surprise you both. 

2. Take a wild adventure together. You can create memories that will be around long after you are gone. Those are the best memories that you will have.

3. Finally, journey alongside your teen spiritually. Connect to your teen and connect your teen to God by praying and reading and memorizing Scripture with your teen daily. Pray over them. I never let my godchildren walk away without making the sign of the cross on their head. Just 10 minutes a day can give your relationship an “eternal touch.” School may get what’s in the middle, but be was determined to “bookend” their days with a short devotion at the breakfast table and a Bible-and-prayer time before bed.